Process of mining coal.



No. 677,880. Patented July 9, I90l. E. c. MORGAN.

PROCESS OF MINING GOAL.

(Application filed June 14, 1899.)

(No Model.)

FIG1 I KE'RF D FIRE CLAY I FIRE ClBY ROOF j WEDGE g COB 1 F1 3 F I ET AE "FIRE-CLAY TRACK} I CURL KERF mm KER? J KER CLHY wEnE A WK 2-.

WITNESSES l/V VE N T0,?

a. mm

UNITED STATES ATENT Erica.

EDMUND O. MORGAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF MINING COAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,880, dated July 9,1901. Application filed June 14, 1899. Serial No. 720,463. (No morleL)To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMUND O. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Process of Mining Coal, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an improved process of mining coal; and theobjects of the invention are, first, to reduce the cost of mining coal,particularly in thin veins; second, to reduce the amount of laborioushandwork now required in loading the coal on cars for transportation outof the mine, and, third, to produce the coal in a better marketable condition and with less waste. I attain these objects by the processillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows thefirst step, Fig. 2 shows the second step, and Fig. 3 shows the thirdstep, in the process. Figs. 4., 5, 6, and 7show an additional operationwhich may be employed in connection with the process shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3.

In the present methods of mining the coal is undercut by hand or machineand broken down onto the floor of the mine or blasted out of the solidonto the fioor of the mine and loaded by hand on cars for transportationout of the mine.

My process shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 consists in forming a kerf underthe coal by hand or with a machine, layinga track in the kerf, andrunning a movable platform or car suitable for transporting the coal outof the mine into the kerf and letting the coal down directly into saidmovable platform or car, thus eliminating the greater part of thehandwork now required in loading the coal.

As the nature of coal varies much in difIerent mines and sometimes evenin the same mine, it is necessary to vary the operation somewhat afterthe kerf has been formed.- In some cases the coal will stay in itsposition until the car has been run under it, after which I loosen it bywedges or other suitable means and let it down into the car. In othercases, where the coal is not sufficiently firm to stay up until the carhas been run under it, I hold it up by suitable and well-known supportsuntil the car has been run under it. I then remove the supports and letthe coal down into the car.

The track may be dispensed with, if desired, without departing from thespirit of my invention.

In practice,in addition to the process shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, Iprefer to employ the operation shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7, whichconsists in blocking out in the coal-vein a suitable amount of coal tofill one car by cutting vertical kerfs in addition to the horizontalkerf under the coal.

As in practice the kerf under the coal required for my process is muchlarger than that employed in the present method of mining,the utility ofmy invention will be more fully realized when'the kerf is formed bymachinery.

While machinery is now used to a considerable extent in coal-mines forforming small kerfs and drilling blast-holes, the loading of the coal isdone by hand.

By the use of my process I so change the method of mining that the coalpractically loads itself. At the same time I am enabled to use machineryto advantage for the other operations.

Having explained the nature and scope of my invention, so that thoseskilled in the art may be enabled to use the same, What I claim as newand of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is'

1. The process of mining coal, consisting in forming a kerf under thecoal, runninga movable platform or car into said kerf, loosening thecoal andletting it down directly into said movable platform or car.

2. The process of mining coal, consisting in forming a kerf under thecoal, laying a track in said kerf, running a movable platform or carinto said kerf, on said track, loosening the coal and lettingit downdirectlyinto said movable platform or car.

3. The process of mining coal, consisting in blocking out in thecoal-vein, a sufiicient amount of coal to fill'a car, by forminghorizontal and vertical kerfs, then running a movable platform orcar'under said blocked-out coal, loosening it and letting it downdirectly into said movable platform or car.

EDMUND O. MORGAN.

Witnesses:

NELLIE M. HOLLAND, ADDIE B. STEELE.

